New outdoor rink brings back memories for GM Bergevin

The Canadiens officially opened the last of five outdoor refrigerated rinks in less-advantaged areas of Montreal on Tuesday, a $1.4-million project built by the Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation as part of its Bleu Blanc Bouge program to promote healthy lifestyles for children.

The newest rink is in Notre Dame de Grâce, where former Canadien Sergio Momesso (now a commentator on TSN 690 Radio) grew up, and not far from Point St. Charles, where Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin grew up.

Bergevin said the new outdoor rink brought back memories, but “this is a lot nicer than what we had growing up.”

Bergevin and Momesso used to play against each other as kids in minor hockey games at N.D.G.’s Doug Harvey Arena. Momesso played for the N.D.G. Maroons and Bergevin was with the Ville Émard Hurricanes.

“He never won a game in here when I played, I’ll tell you that,” Bergevin joked.

When Momesso said he heard Bergevin make a similar crack: “I said: ‘Well, it wasn’t because of you, I said it was because of a guy named Mario Lemieux who was a pretty good player.’ And we both started laughing.”

Agressive forcheck.
Draw the Bruins into taking penalties and do not retaliate.
Match their toughness but do not take it over the line unless necessary.
Speed, speed and more speed.
Kill them on the power play.

Colby Armstrong could also elbow Bergeron to the head and pretty much end the Bruins’ season. I sincerely hope that doesn’t happen, cause I like Bergeron, but I’m saying that anything can happen and it works both ways.

For once I’ll agree with Habitant in Surrey, I can’t get my head around all the worry about facing the Bruins on this site. It’s just the Bruins, they usually lose!

I think we ought to just play like normal, let them take penalties, and beat them on the PP. The only reason I’d up the aggression level (from what it has been all year) is if the refs cede control of the game, which they often have during these tilts.

Hola Amigos! I won $100 on the Superbowl Squares at the Saloon! The look on the face of The Evil Barkeep was priceless! He hates me.Jeeze ,I love tormenting that Bast#rd.(He is a Leaf fan) Go Habs Go!!!!

Hey PJ Stock, if you’re reading this, did you hear that the Gazette’s own Dave Stubbs will be honoured for his contribution to Canadian sports by receiving a Diamond Jubilee medal? I forget exactly when you received any honour for any contribution to anything….oh, that’s right….NEVER! Congratulations Mr. Stubbs on your well-deserved recognition.

……it must be very much younger Fans here whom are so intimidated by the Boston Bruins …because it’s only been the last few years that they have had the upper hand

…My memories though over 60 years leaves Me a much more realistic perception of the Bruins …fortitude, speed, skill and the passion of the Montreal Canadiens has consistently overcome any physical intimidation factors of teams like they or the Phlyers

…it’s like standing up to a bully with Your own quick mind …intelligence with skill and speed always wins the day

…though, unfortunately, Boston has a tad bit of skill too

…but, never mind, We are God’s Team, and Good overcomes Evil every time

I wouldn’t wish a concussion or torn up knee on anybody. So I’m thinking a hip check delivered to Lucic by either Subban or Emelin, sending him head over heals, landing on and breaking his wrist, would suffice.

…I watched a clip on PK’s return following His hold-out after signing His new contract …in conversation with someone in the hall while awaiting His medical examination, He said quite emphatically how much His Dad was relieved He had signed

…so, I would conclude those conversations with Dad likely swung PK’s eventual decision to accept a compromise with Bergevin

I think it’s safe to say, especially with how both teams are playing, this’ll be a great game, as per usual. Probably going to be a nail biter. I love that any game against the Bs gives me the same feeling as a playoff game

That’s a good point, actually and unfortunately. Reffing across the league has been brutal this year. Think fans of every team are in agreement on that. Here’s hoping they have enough sense to let them play.

I’ll tell you this about Lars Eller, He’s under-rated! I dont really like him so much because he’s not my style of play. I like crashers and bangers. But the guy has done really well for someone who barely gets any PP minutes. If you look at the amount of points players get on the PP it makes a huge difference. LArs Eller has never consistently been a PP player. Last year we chose gomez over him. MT has fed him a bone with the gallys a couple games a go, but he dosnt get any powerr play time. I’m curious to check his 5×5 numbers. Also hes mostly played on the 3rd line with less offensively skilled talent that could change if he was given the opportunity to play with good wingers consistently. Is no wonder A LOT of teams have showed interest in this young experienced player. Like I said Im not a fan but dont let his numbers fool you, give him wingers and PP time, and you will see a big difference Im positive about that. also his numbers have steadily progressed over each season. and hes being seing into a better defensive player. you dont have to like him, but just saying the facts.

I’m not huge on him either, but I can’t shake the feeling that we haven’t seen his best hockey yet. I think the JM years were poor to bad for his development; I’m modestly hopeful that a new coach, with a new approach and no more of PG’s “We have to play the money” hanging overhead, will help the young centre take the next step.

The emergence of the 2 Gallys shows us that young guys have a fair shake IF the effort is there, IF they don’t cheat and keep skating on every play. No bad penalties or give-ups due to lack of effort or plain old fear of getting a busted nose on the play.

Andrei Kostitsyn (Mr. “Hey Look at The Play I Just Made!”) would have a hard time staying in the top 6 of a MT coached team. He wasn’t a bad player, im my books, but to me that sets the kind of bar that Eller has to get over to earn his stripes.

I wish they would build a few of those rinks in the west island or some Ball Hockey rinks the one in dorval is next to a high school ravaged by graffiti and always has tournaments and leagues playing in it so its hard to get a game with the guys going.

Ok …enough with using “Douche bag” as a comparison for BJ Stock! It’s just not a good match up nor is it fair to the important invention and usefulness of said implement .I mean really,what did the douche bag ever do too you? Besides , with all the verbal diarrhea and mental constipation that is the make up of BJ Stock ‘s head there are countless other things that compare better,like that medical device they insert when doing a cavity search for BJ’s BRAIN ! So lets be fair to our friend the douche bag,it really is our friend and hopefully one day someone you love don’t need one ,and come up with other things that describe BJ Stock that really resemble the man…. peace out.

…everything up to now has been pre-season in My eyes …the official NHL season does not begin until the first Habs vs Teddy Bears game

…this is one game My Daughter Venus can not soft-soap Me into waiting until Her Ellen DeGeneres Show is finished

…nope, I’m going to be ruthless this afternoon

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What I WANT ! is an aircraft carrier at centre and nuclear destroyers on each wing going to the net like bats out of Hell !, …NO MORE rubber duckies !!!
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Habitant means PASSIONATE HOCKEYhttp://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=423049

So, I was reading Leafs fans comparing:
Kessel to Pacioretty
Phaneuf to Markov
Grabovski to Plekanec
Gardiner to Subban
Reimer to Price

The trend was that obviously Kessel was seen as better than Pacioretty (as a Habs fan, Pacioretty’s character and production are extremely valuable as opposed to just production), that Reimer was worse than Price (the comparison is rather insulting) and that Gardiner was worse than Subban (also an insulting comparison).

They also had no hesitation in saying Phaneuf is better than Markov, labelling Markov as an offensive Dman in the sense that that’s all he is. Sure, Markov has endured a string of bad luck with injuries, and he’s definitely slower, but I guess Leaf fans don’t think much of pure intelligence on the ice, and that Markov is probably better defensively than Phaneuf. Can Phaneuf make Komisarek look great? I didn’t think so.

They also viewed Grabovski as equal to Pleks or even better, which is a complete joke. Offensively, Pleks is both better and more proven. Grabovski also seems to be more of a goal scorer than a playmaker so I’m not sure if he has good on ice vision. Defensively, he has a much longer list of accomplishments to his name than Grabovski who probably hasn’t played in the playoffs before. Pleks is also very good on the PK, and is very good at generating shorthanded chances.

I think that Leaf fans see Grabovski as a hard-working forward who is given similar assignments to Pleks, and for some reason, overrate him almost automatically. They also can’t see why Montreal is doing better this season or can’t see why the Habs would be a better team. That’s also astonishing to me because the Habs’ D is far and away superior to theirs (it’s not even funny) and Price is just so much better than anything they have. Forward-wise, they do have talent. But then again, many of them are reluctant to admit that Galchenyuk is better than Rielly even though one is in the NHL and the other is in the WHL.

IMO, Plekanec isn’t a playmaker either, both love to shoot first, but Plekanec is one of the best defensive forwards in the game. I’m insulted they’d compare Grabovski to Plekanec, DD, ya, Plekanec, I don’t think so.

Tom just see’s the way we love Timo here, despite him only making a couple positive posts in over 6 years.

I remember when I first started posting here 6 years ago, I used to berate Timo daily, his response, nothing but class. He nevered stooped to my level. I learned pretty quickly that he’s a damn fine fellow and I’m just an a**.

There is something to be said for the different philosophy in hockey. JM essentially welcomed the other team into our end as we tried to block every shot with players. By utilizing the forecheck we have made it more difficult for other teams to gain our zone and thus less opportunities for the other team to spend as much time in our zone.

Injuries still do often come down to luck, but always felt JM’s system kind of invited injury, probably more perception than real though.

Everyone hopes Eller can be a 25-30 goal scorer and 60 point man but there is no present or past indications that he can do this…He has never scored even 20 goals in any level of hockey so we should be happy that as a third line centre he produces 20 goals 40 points…Posters can state who he has played with and his minutes but that is just an indication that the coaching staffs of the Habs have not seen enough in him to have the confidence to elevate his playing situation…

It would great to see more communities doing this rather than just large urban centres. If many rural municipalities can afford to run full community centres then we can afford outdoor rinks in the winter. Brings a community together for something good, sport + exercise.

Anyone know of any sites or videos that would be good to demonstrate skating how tos and techniques? I’m getting the bug to go out to the local rink and get better at skating so later on down the line, I can show my son how to properly skate.

There seems to be a lot of people who have given up on Eller. Personally I’d have a hard time to give up a 23 year old who has scored 4 goals in one game last year. I don’t think Eller has been put in a situation to fairly evaluate his capability. He’s been in a revolving door of linemates blah blah blah you’ve all heard that one. But most importantly he’s averaging .5 pts per game playing 13 minutes per game. Once injuries hit, and mark my words, they will, Eller will be a better improvement than Moen to substitute onto the first line. Although I’d rather see Eller put on a line with steady linemates, it doesn’t look like that will happen.

But that’s the kicker, we don’t have room for him, and that is why he can’t really succeed, i have been on both sides of the fence for the eller debate, i think he could excel if given the opportunity. At the same time, i don’t think anyone on the top 3 lines should be sitting to give eller an opportunity.

That said, as a young guy, I think (hope) that a few years on the bottom lines will necessarily hurt him. I can see him playing a much more prominent role on the team in the seasons to come. Especially once the Gallys get more acclimatized to the league. I think having Prust on their line has been a huge boon, but next year…might be better equipped to handle themselves and play with a more skilled guy, like Eller.

@Trisomy 21. I agree Forget the folks that have given up on him, what about the ones that beat him up. The way he has been moved around reminds me of what Demers did to John LecClair and look how that turned out!

Remember how hard it was to get the last of the snow over the boards late in the season when the snow bank behind the boards was higher than the boards?

For anyone visiting the Manhattan, there is still free outdoor skating at Bryant Park in midotwn. Central Park has three outdoor rinks, two for hockey. The Rockefeller Center outdoor rink is $75 a couple for an hour of skating.

If these rinks are like the ones in my area (St Henri/Downtown border)then they have a “zamboni” that comes by once or twice a day. It’s really just a small tractor with the zamboni back end(brush and water bucket thing). Maybe the Bleu-blanc et rouge rinks have something better as they are much nicer rinks.

Just bought myself a new pair of skates for my new feet yesterday..too bad I don’t live there instead of this boaring city..mind you there is the canal which is kinda cool..GO HABS GO so pumped for the BIG game tonight…need to stay focused and work..

It depends on your life style. I lived in Ottawa for about 5 years. It’s nice if you work, go home to a family and your family likes hiking and biking and nature and stuff. If you like night life, probably not so much, although there are a few nice restaurants and pubs.

…My bedroom balcony when I was 11 to 15 years old looked over the outdoor hockey rink at Coronation Park at Fielding and Coronation Streets in NDG …it was where I first became serious about hockey, at least until I joined the military as a young man

…prior to that the places I had lived were far and long treks on a weekend to varied outdoor or indoor rinks…I played goal, and lugging My pads and equipment from the top of Ridgewood in Cotes des Neiges on busses and streetcars was quite the challenge

…shortly after My Family moving into Our new NDG apartment I soon learned John Ferguson, Billy Hicke and Terry Harper were My neighbors …as an obsessed Montreal Canadiens Fan likely as soon as I left the womb, that outdoor rink at the corner of Fielding and Coronation was where you would find Me for much of the endless winters

…memories of skating and shooting the puck alone against the boards until almost 11 pm under the moonlight, in weather of often between 35 to 50 degrees below zero and coming home with swollen frost-bitten ears to My loving Mother’s chagrin, or playful scrimmages with Billy Hicke who would come on to the ice to lap it several times incredibly with speed that left Myself and My Friends in awe

…I eventually morphed into a lover of tropical breezes and palm trees, living most of My adult years in Asia and the South Pacific …but that outdoor rink and it’s memories provided are indelible

…this morning I am looking at the photo of the immaculate new Bleu, Blanc et Bouge rink with the CH crest not far from where I lived in NDG and I am thinking how much I miss those dayz

Wow, that is where I played my first minor hockey, the Loyal park Canadians, We won the championship that year, 1970-71 I was living on coronation facing the park. Small world. By the way, it is called Loyola Park, not Coronation!

It is a small world I guess they did, I moved there mid 60’s. Not sure what the name was then, it may still have been Coronation..I was only 5, all I cared about was there was a park to play in…lol
It was a great neighbourhood! Cheers!!

LA Loyalist re other thread…on Eller…I have posted probably 50 times on Eller on here, showing his minutes palyed, quality of linemates(or lack there of ), lack of pp time, how he is ahead of both Desharnais and Pleks at same age, his versatiliy,etc…it has now come out that MB got more calls re him than any other player for trade requests….there isplenty of evidence that you asked for re Eller being worth keeping and not sending out of town for good.
HE scored 28 points as a third liner…that is very good fo ra rookie

as far as this year goes…he has 1 less ppoitn then Giotna and COle in 2 less games played…

Looks like the make or break stretch of the schedule will be March 2-10.

The Habs play 6 games in 9 days, book-ended by 2 back-to-backs. The kicker is that after the home game against Pitt on Mar. 2 to open the stretch, the next 5 games are away – extremely compressed road trip.

Talk about running the gauntlet. Would probably be smart to bring a full 23 man roster on that trip. I’d be very happy if they came out of it with 5 or 6 points.

Edit: A less tough stretch is coming in Apr (9-20): 7 games in 12 days, but 4 of those are at home. After the April stretch, there’s a 2 day break, and then the Habs close out the season with 3 road games. Could be rough. Hopefully it’s all settled before then.

“The newest rink is in Notre Dame de Grâce, where former Canadien Sergio Momesso (now a commentator on TSN 690 Radio) grew up, and not far from Point St. Charles, where Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin grew up.”

Yet there’s no rink in the Point where MB grew up. We could use a nice rink for the kids here. I guess we’re no longer considered one of the “less-advantaged areas of Montreal”. Could have fooled me.

I don’t begrudge these areas getting the rinks. I’m confused as to why Point St. Charles wont be getting one. All these years I’ve been told I live in one of the poorest areas in Montreal. I also read that the Canadiens are building rinks in “less-advantaged areas of Montreal”. So, what happened?

I know many people living here with children are also confused. I guess once again the Point gets the shaft.

Chicago because of the history it has with my hometown (St. Catharines) but I also have an affinity for Boston. Even now. I want Boston to be good. I want Boston to have a strong team. I want them to always play Montreal tough. I want our games to mean something. I don’t cheer for them, but I’ll never cheer against them. I depise them, but at the same time love them.

Unlike the Leafs. I actually am getting to the point of feeling sorry for the Leafs.

I walked over to the rink to watch the opening ceremony yesterday. Geoff Molson, Marc Bergevin, and half a dozen Habs were there. After the speeches, the Habs skated with the kids and signed autographs. Lars Eller skated right by me, a couple of feet away. He is much taller and more solid than I realized. He looks like a young Nordic god! Josh Gorges, Travis Moen, Colby Armstrong, Francis Bouillon, and Brendan Gallagher were also there.

Staged fights are a joke. It should be spontaneous. It makes the NHL look like the WWF. One guy to watch tonight (if he’s playing) is #64 Lane MacDermid, he might be looking to replace Thornton in the future or near future depending on his health.

We lived in the finest times as kids in the 50’s and 60’s. Even the poor saw quality all around and strived to get there.
Not only in the quality of hockey, but in quality of community as well, sharing, and giving of volunteer time for one another.
That’s where the young have lost a lot of pride and respect in today’s world.

Ian, I skated on those rings, mostly Lesperance, in those day. The cold air freezing your lungs, the sting of the puck hitting your shin, the constant smell for oranges from the boxes. My son played 16yrs of minor hockey and I helped coach alot of those years. We had ONE (1) outdoor practice just for the fun of it. The kids loved it, the parents complained. Now I occationally skate on the outdoor lake in St-Bruno, where I live. But you can still see and hear the sounds of outdoor hockey from our local rings. Long live the Canadian winter………..

makes sense …no Thronton in the lineup..so Moen, Prust, Bouillon is enough to keep things relatively honest. Bourque can handle himself and the Bruins while bullyish are also a very good hockey team and have some serious skill and speed…Eller can contribute offensively and can help in any situation.

Bruins will try to slow down the speedier Habs with their usual crap. Habs need to score at even strength a couple times early on. Then, a gang attack on Chara, chopping him to the ground with sharpened sticks.
After Chara leaves the ice on a gourney, target Lucic and Horton. That’ll ruin their season and I will shed tears of joy.

Love the new rink!! Right behind my grandma’s house!!
Guess where i’ll be sunday lunchtime, after the Pasta!! lol I grew up there and in LaSalle. but mostly NDG!! …Glad to see the Habs doing great things in the community like this!!
I think the area needed it…Times have changed and so has the community, so it’s a BIG help!!

Well tonight my Hansel & Gretel’s we are going to HAVE FUN! I love it when these two teams face-off…LOVE IT! Berge and Therrien need this game for further assessment of what is lacking on the Habs ,lets hope no one gets killed of loses an eye Again,I think we’re gonna win this game and lose the war…. Go Habs Go!

I anticipate a “staged” fight in the first few minutes. From there I see the Bruins attempting to knock the Habs off “their game” (scrums around Price after every whistle, trash talking during every faceoff, a few borderline hits, Horton getting in Subban’s face etc.). This time however, I see the Habs sticking up for each other, but keeping their emotions in check.

Habs instead beat the Bruins where it counts, on the scoreboard.

Disclaimer: I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to see a few fisticuffs tonight.

We have one of these in Verdun about a 5 minute walk from my place. Makes me want to get a pair of skates and a stick, even though I never played hockey on ice. If Gomez can do it, then I just might have a chance. Amirite???

Boston – a disgrace to the sport in every way.
Toronto – perennial losers, annoying media hype.
Rangers – Glen Sather.
Detroit – Hockeytown marketing gimmick. There isn’t a town in Canada that is less deserving of that title.

Great to see this happening, but I’m kind of sorry that they built one in NDG rather than in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, one of the poorest areas in Montreal, and where it’s a bloody long walk between outdoor rinks.

Wow so the Molsons were out around 1.7 million with Bourque having to pay him for roughly three months. Also had to pay Nokkelainen.
I wonder how much the organization makes for every playoff game at home? Anyone know the estimate?

And how in bejZus can the medical staff find out if the player hurt himself in hockey-related activity or not? Any hockey oplayer can say he was injured while doing some training.